Stuart Air Show seeks help from community on Giving Tuesday

Charity groups are competing for your wallet this Giving Tuesday. That includes a Treasure Coast non-profit that is making sure to get its message out.

The Audi Stuart Air Show is a not-for-profit organization. All of the show's expenses are paid off by its profits.

But this year, the show suffered a horrific tragedy and then was canceled due to bad weather. Now organizers are asking for the community's help to bounce back.

The aviation community is still healing from a sudden tragedy on the opening day of this year's Stuart Air Show. Dr. Joseph Massessa died when his plane crashed during a practice run.

"It's been a hard road. It's really still so fresh with all of us. It just happened less than a month ago," said Amy Bottegal, President of the Stuart Air Show Board of Directors.

Bottegal said the devastation followed the entire weekend, with heavy downpours that caused the show to be canceled.

Executive Director of the show Skylar Gorman said they had to reach into their reserves to cover expenses. This Giving Tuesday, they're asking for a hand up.

"We believe the community helped build us in the last 30 years, and we believe that the community will support us, and they've been really amazing through everything," said Gorman.

Several non-profits are competing for donations on Giving Tuesday, even other charitable causes.

Financial expert Tom Essaye said there's nothing wrong with giving to organizations that aren't a 501(c)(3). Just know that your donations to those charities aren't tax deductible.

"A lot of us locally are getting asked to donate to the Bahamas, and certainly they need a ton of help," said Essaye. "Not every GoFundMe page is going to have an actual charitable organization attached to it. That doesn’t mean they are not giving the money to the people who need it, but it does mean you may not be able to deduct that contribution against your taxes."